Welcome to the annual Chartres Pilgrimage in France, 2026!
PLEASE READ ALL OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:
NOTE: If you find your Chapter "full" we encourage you to put your name on the waitlist, as places DO open up.
This is the REGISTRATION PAGE for those interested in joining us for the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary (ADULT) Chapter or the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (FAMILY) Chapter. REGINA Magazine is a proud sponsor of these two chapters.
The Paris Chartres Pilgrimage is a traditional three-day walking pilgrimage in the medieval footprint from Notre-Dame de Paris to Notre-Dame de Chartres. Today the Pilgrimage begins at the Church of Saint Sulpice in Paris.
Upon arrival at Chartres, pilgrims venerate the veil of Our Lady, one of the most hallowed relics of the Christian world.
The walking route covers approximately 60 miles over 3 days, beginning at the Church of Saint Sulpice in Paris and ending at the Cathedral Notre-Dame de Chartres.
Pilgrims are organized into groups called "chapters."
We are the English-language Chapter of the Most Holy Rosary for adults (intense walkers) and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel for families (experienced walkers).
The family chapters walk about two-thirds of the route of the other adult chapters. Be sure to train for the walk - it is not easy.
The adult chapter will have a priest walking with the group at all times while the family chapters have priests walking with them for part of the time.
DATES AND ITINERARY:
The dates for the 2026 Paris to Chartres Pentecost Pilgrimage are May 23 - 25, 2026.
Plan to arrive in Paris on Wednesday, May 20th, or Thursday, May 21st to get acclimated and be able to attend the events on Friday.
On Friday, May 22, the day before the pilgrimage begins, we will have an optional morning Mass at the church of Saint-Roch in central Paris, with a picnic lunch and a meet-and-greet after, for those registered with our chapters. Details will be sent to registrants at a later date.
The pilgrimage will begin with Mass at Notre-Dame in Paris the morning of Saturday, May 23, the Vigil of Pentecost.
The following day, the Solemnity of Pentecost (Whitsunday), Sunday, May 24, Solemn Pontifical Mass will be sung in the French countryside.
The concluding Mass will be celebrated in Chartres Cathedral, on Pentecost Monday, May 25.
The Mass ends around 3:30 - 4:00PM which allows pilgrims time to collect their bags, and either head for the train back to Paris, or to their local hotels. Those who remain in Chartres usually meet up in the evening for an informal dinner at Le Cafe Serpente, directly across from the Cathedral. We then stay to watch the laser light show on the facade of the Cathedral at 10:00PM.
Pilgrims who join us will have the opportunity to sing and pray in both English, French, and Latin.
On the way of the pilgrimage route, the French have the venerable custom of singing the Rosary in French.
There will be prayer and fellowship, with over 20,000 + pilgrims making the journey together with participants from many countries.
The pilgrimage is organized by the L’association Notre-Dame de Chrétienté (the Association of Our Lady of Christendom).
Following the Chartres Pilgrimage, REGINA Magazine, the sponsor of the Chapters, has a Retreat at Fontgombault Abbey. If you would like to join us on Retreat, please go here for more information.
REGISTRATION:
PLEASE NOTE: there are two steps to register for those who wish to join our chapters.
1. The first step is to register on this site and pay your fee.
2. The second step is to register and pay your additional fee (an estimated 42 Euro)on the official site of Notre-Dame de Chretiente. Don't forget that you MUST also register with Notre Dame de Chretiente, otherwise you will not have a wrist band to enter the camps or board the buses, etc. This link is not yet available. For those who register with us, we will send you the link for this site as soon as it is LIVE, sometime in March or April 2026.
We sincerely hope you will join us — to avoid disappointment, register early!
DISCOUNTS FOR YOUTH AND CLERGY:
NOTA BENE: Our chapters (Our Lady of the Rosary and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel) have a discount for youth (18 and under) who register with us. The cost for them is $25. When you register a youth, type the discount code YOUTH for the discount to apply.
Also, there is no cost for clergy -- when they register with us they can type the discount code FREE.
The Chapter fee covers the costs of bringing our English-speaking chaplains to accompany our chapters from the USA.
You will be given a customized English-language participant book to follow along the hymns, prayers, and meditations. that change every year.
By registering here, you are able to walk with the group. You will be accompanied by volunteers who have walked in previous years. Each of our chapters will also have its own flag, banner, and cross
Thank you for supporting the continued maintenance of our website: https://chartres-pilgrimage.com/
You must purchase your own round-trip flights. It is best to plan to arrive at least a couple days in advance.
Travel insurance is highly recommended and should include trip cancellation for any reason and medical coverage.
Although a meager fare is provided , you will need to bring your own food to supplement your meals.
Outside the 3-day walking pilgrimage, you will need to budget for and make arrangements for your own accommodations.
You receive your wristband from us only after you register on the official site of Notre-Dame de Chretiente.
Meet and pray with the group with whom you will spend the next three days! This day is optional, but we highly recommend it.
Mass begins at the Church of St. Roch at 10:00AM.
Church of Saint-Roch, 296 Rue Saint-Honoré, 75001 Paris, France
Following Mass we will meet in front of the church. Then we will go together to the grocery store across the street to purchase our picnic lunch items.
We will walk together to the park near the church (a close walk of a block or so), to the Jardin des Tuileries (Tuilleries Garden), a 17th-century formal garden in the heart of Paris.
Here we will enjoy our lunch and go over last minute instructions for our early meeting the next morning at Notre Dame where we will begin our pilgrimage.
The rest of the day is open for a free afternoon - you can join us for some impromptu sight-seeing of religious shrines, or you can tour the city on your own.
We look forward to you experiencing all of this!
Departure Day - Pontifical Mass in Paris.
Welcome to Day 1 of the Chartres Pilgrimage!
The pilgrimage begins at Notre Dame or Saint Sulpice in Paris. Details TBA.
Plan to arrive early as it will be crowded! We recommend 5:00 am. Watch for our chapter with its American flag. YOU WILL BE GIVEN DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS ON WHERE TO FIND US. Your wristband, booklet and luggage tag will be given to you at this time.. Be patient with us, as this is a challenging aspect of the Pilgrimage.
Next, you will drop your luggage (bag) off at the proper lorry truck. Remember to have on you a backpack (daypack) for each day as you walk.
Stick together. There will be lots of people, and too big of a crowd for us to enter the church for the opening Mass. Stay with your Chapter.
PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR SCHEDULED WEBINARS IN WHICH WE DISCUSS WHAT TO EXPECT, WHAT TO BRING ETC. REGISTRATION FOR THESE WEBINARS WILL BE EMAILED TO YOU ONCE YOU ARE REGISTERED.
Be ready for rain, sun, and possible cold. You may also want to carry a light jacket or sweater in your backpack as it may be chilly in the morning.
What food to bring? Energy or protein bars. Dried dehydrated fruit. Banana chips. Make you own trail mix or bring some roasted nuts with sea salt. Avoid items that will melt like chocolate protein bars. Some of these items may be difficult to find in France (you can bring them with you from home).
What drink to bring? A water bottle. Also, Gatorade helps or electrolyte minerals supplements to put in your water.
There will be a few short stops to rest as we walk. Bottled water will be freely handed out. There are also occasional First-Aid stations as we walk.
Sometimes along the way volunteers can be seen offering protein bars to the clergy, priests, seminarians, and nuns, who make an extra sacrifice walking in their cassock or religious habit.
We walk all day until evening. We take turns carrying the banner and flag for our chapter. We maintain a joyous mood. We sing and pray together.
If some are unable to walk certain distances, there are volunteers at special stations to help ferry pilgrims to the next stops.
Once we arrive at camp, find your bag that was transported by the lorry truck. Then find what tents our group is in. Set up your sleeping bag and mat for the night.
Get some grub before it's gone (it goes quick - hot watery soup for dinner), served with a piece of bread. Remember to supplement this meager fare with your own food stored in your backpack and luggage.
Don't miss the bonfire hosted by the French Scouts as they re-enact the history of Catholic France with pageantry and an enchanting torchlight procession where they carry a statue of Our Lady of Christendom and sing historic folk songs. This is done at the campsite for the adult chapters.
There will also be a tent set up with Adoration to keep Our Blessed Lord company. Get some sleep for an early pre-dawn rise the next morning!
Happy Pentecost Sunday...Veni Creator Spiritus!
Expect miracles. Don't forget your prayer intentions.
The second day we awake before dawn. Pack up our gear and drop our bags off at the proper location.
Eat a quick breakfast and get in line with our group for instructions on when to begin walking.
During the noon hour we stop for outdoor Mass in a farmers field. Bring an umbrella to give yourself some shade. After Mass, we each lunch. Then we continue walking.
In the evening we arrive at camp. People are tired. Find your luggage and your assigned group tent and set up your bed. Get some sleep, you will need it!
Happy Octave of Pentecost! The graces continue.
We begin the third morning as we did the second, awaking before dawn. The line for bathrooms will be long -- get in first.
Pack up your gear and drop your bag off at the proper location to be loaded on the lorry truck. Get some breakfast before the food is gone.
Next, we line up with our chapter to await instructions for the walk. Usually on this morning the foreign chapters are slated to walk first, leading the final leg of the pilgrimage to Chartres.
This day is not as intense as we arrive at Chartres and have Mass inside the famous Cathedral. The children are invited to enter the church. As there is limited seating, we do not enter the church.
However, the foreign chapters are given a place of honor outside in front of the Cathedral. The view is splendid.
After Mass, everyone goes down the hill to the designated place to retrieve their luggage. Then most of the participants take the free train back to Paris while some others will stay to spend a celebratory evening in Chartres.
Don't forget to try to enter the Cathedral after the Mass to see the veil of Our Lady!
We hope you have a fine time and gain many spiritual blessings from this extraordinary event!
And we look forward to seeing you possibly the next year, too. Be sure to tell your friends about it!
